A pub landlord who punched back when Greek football thugs attacked him at a European Albion match has been banned from going to matches for three years.
John Dennison, 55, briefly crossed into the opposing side’s area to help a woman who was having a heart attack during Brighton and Hove Albion’s game against Athens last November.
As he returned, some Athens fans attacked him and he punched them back several times, which was caught on video.
At Brighton Magistrates Court last Thursday, he insisted that he had been acting in self defence.
But district judge Amanda Kelly said that all that needed to be proven to obtain the order was that he contributed to the violence, which the video showed he had done.
Introducing the video footage to court, PC Sam Smith said: “There were six punches. He had every opportunity to leave. These punches were thrown in anger, not self defence.”
Mr Dennison, who runs the Barleycorn pub in Nutbourne, said: “I’m a youth football coach and manage a local youth club. I attend football with my 14-year-old son.
“I’m a very respected member of the community – I don’t go around starting fights.
“I should not have defended myself as I did and I should have run off. But it was me defending myself and there is no excuse for the police officers not investigating that.
“I tried to assist someone in trouble and that person was an Athens supporter. If the officers had contacted Athens they would have confirmed this was the case.”
But Ms Kelly said that the threshold for granting the order was too low to allow for his acting in self defence.
She said: “Have you caused the violence? No. Have you contributed to the violence? Yes, you certainly have.
“There were other things you could have such as walking away. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
“It’s a really harsh set of tests. But here you are, caught on camera at a really high profile match.
“People hear about these banning orders and when they hear about the sort of behaviour which will results in a banning order it will have a deterrent effect.
“Based on everything I have heard, I will keep it to the minimum of three years.”
It’s the sort of behaviour you’d expect to see on a playground. This sport brings the worst out in people.
Let’s hope when you have a heart attack no-one rushes to your assistance!
Just how carefully did the judge think this through? This poorly measured decision will make people less inclined to go to the assistance of someone in distress. If you are attacked you should absolutely have the right to return blows and fight off your assailants.
This judgement just confirms how out of touch the judiciary is with ordinary people and their lives – there were clear mitigating circumstances for the judge to use her discretion, after all who would not be a tad angry if, after assisting someone in distress, one was attacked by cowardly thugs!
so the answer to being assaulted is to assault the assaulter… thats a bit like saying you should rape the rapist who attacks you… disgusting… should’ve been banned for life
but he was assaulted because he tried to help a lady having a heart attack? The worlds gone mad! Yes, perhaps he shouldn’t have carried on the punching, self defences yes but 6punches, maybe not